Leader
by True Colours
Summary: Pai knows his men would do anything for him. That's why he has to fight so hard. Oneshot, minor injury.


**Leader**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew

There was a scrunchy thud as Pai scrambled and vaulted his way over a bank of hard-packed snow, screwing up his eyes against the flakes that blew into them. It looked as though the snow was settling in for the night; dangerous weather for even the strong and healthy to be out in. And judging by the state he'd been in when Pai had last seen him, his quarry would be neither.

It would have been quicker to teleport. He had a fairly good idea of where to look. The rough ice house where he and his fellow trainees had just spent a month's gruelling survival training seemed like the best bet for anyone hoping to survive the night away from the settlement, but he didn't want to lose the trail and have to start over. So he was running and flying by turns, senses strained for the barest hints of passage: tiny scuff marks in the snow, a faint scent of something living hanging in the air. And then, on the bone-white ice ahead of him, he spotted a clearer sign. A drop of blood.

Pai alighted softly and crouched down to examine it. Frozen already, of course, but still, as far as he could tell in the fading light, red rather than brown. Fresh. He straightened up and saw another spot further on, and another. Shaking his head, he jogged forward, following the trail.

Another hundred yards or so, and the ice hut bloomed up suddenly out of the dusk. Parts of the roof, held up with precious beams of wood, were already falling in, and it was drifted up with snow on one side. But a good portion of the building was still standing. And from inside, he could hear breathing. Pai ducked into the dark entrance and hissed

'Kanaye?'

He heard a gasp, and then a voice whispered back.

'Pai?'

'Kanaye, what are you doing out here?' Pai demanded.

As his eyes adjusted to the dark he could see his comrade, sitting huddled against the wall with his arms wrapped round his knees, even paler than usual, and shivering. He moved forward and put a hand on his shoulder. 'Are you insane?'

'I just wanted to be alone for a while,' Kanaye said, turning his head away.

'Alone? You know you can't stay here?'

'How can I go back?' the other alien shot back. 'My family…I stole food!'

Pai sighed, and relaxed from a crouch into a kneeling position. Clearly this was going to take a while.

'Our scouts risked everything to get that food all the way back from Earth,' Kanaye said. Pai heard the catch in his voice, and prayed that he wouldn't start crying, out here where tears could freeze solid in your eyes. 'My parents know I took that meat. My sisters know I took it and didn't share it with them.'

'Your parents and sisters want you back,' Pai told him. 'Why do you think I'm out in this ungodly weather looking for you? They're worried sick.'

Kanaye said nothing.

'Come on,' Pai said more gently. 'Let me look at your back.'

His companion sighed and leaned away from the wall. Pai sucked in his breath. It was as bad as he'd feared. Kanaye's shirt was in ribbons, and the lashstrokes were choked with half-frozen blood. The skin around them was raw and inflamed.

'Bad?' Kanaye asked, trying to sound careless and failing. Personally Pai thought he would be lucky to last the night in this state, but he didn't think it would be a good idea to tell Kanaye that.

'A bit messy,' was all he said, reaching out to gently probe his friend's shoulder. He shook his head. Of course Deep Blue had to order beatings for things like this, otherwise a distribution of food could all too easily turn into a riot, with nothing shared out fairly. All the same, if seemed foolish, when they couldn't afford to lose warriors…Kanaye's stuttering breath jerked him back to reality, and he quickly tugged off his outer tunic and pulled it over the other's head.

'You need to warm up,' he said, putting his arms around him and chafing hard. 'Can you stand?'

'Y-yes,' Kanaye stammered, rising stiffly.

'Now, I don't want to hear any more talk of you spending the night out here,' Pai said sternly. 'That's an order. Come on; we'll run back to camp. Stay right beside me; the snow's getting thick.'

They stepped out into the howling wind. 'This way!' Pai called. He took a firm grip on his comrade's arm and set off at a run, holding on until he was sure Kanaye wouldn't fall. They sprinted for several minutes, until Pai felt the burn of blood beginning to flow to his fingers and toes, and then he slowed to a jog and addressed his companion.

'Why did you do it?' he asked.

'Pai?' Kanaye asked, slowing down as well.

'Why did you say you took the meat?'

Kanaye looked baffled. 'I did,' he said.

He cried out as Pai hit him sharply across the face.

'Sorry,' Pai said brusquely, pulling him upright again. 'But don't lie to me. I know you didn't take it. I took it.'

'I…I don't understand,' Kanaye said unconvincingly. 'Maybe…you took some after me?'

Pai sighed impatiently. 'Deep Blue told us three pieces were stolen,' he said. 'I stole three. I stole them for Taruto – you know my young cousin? He's been under the weather and I was worried. I thought some real food would do him good. If I'd told Deep Blue you were lying he'd have had both of us flogged, so I let you go through with your story. But I want to know why you did it.'

Kanaye dropped to a walk. He was shivering again. 'When they first found that food had been stolen,' he began hesitantly, 'we were all together – you know, the trainees, because we'd been helping to unload. We knew it was probably one of us, but we trusted each other. Everybody swore blind it wasn't them, and you were the only one who wasn't there. We knew about your cousin, so we…' he looked down, shamefaced. 'We figured that it was probably you. And we agreed that we'd cover for you. I said I'd own up to it and they all promised to stick to that story.'

'Why?'

'If anyone's going to get the blue planet for us, it's going to be you. Not me. You're our leader, Pai; you probably saved our lives a dozen times during that training exercise. If we can't take a beating for you after that, what are we worth?'

Pai shook his head again, incredulously. He hadn't realised his men thought that highly of him. He felt an odd mix of guilt, shame, and warmth at their regard. But while it was good to know they were loyal, it wasn't fair.

'Don't lie for me again,' he ordered. 'I was fully aware of the probable consequences when I took my risk. And didn't it occur to you that if I've supposedly got the best chance of capturing the blue planet, I've also got the best chance of recovering from a beating.'

'I didn't think of that,' Kanaye admitted.

'No.'

'But I'd have done it anyway if I had.'

'Baka,' Pai said, punching him lightly on the shoulder. Down the next slope, he could make out the few lights that marked their camp.

'Nearly there,' he said. 'Come on. Bandages. Get yourself cleaned up, and I'll make sure you get a place by the fire for the night. God knows you need it.'

'Yes, Pai.'

'Good. Now listen.' Pai swung the other alien round to face him. 'Time and place, do you understand? We're all allies here; we have to be honest when one of us transgresses. But when we head to Earth, I'll feel…very comfortable, if I have you men with me. If you can show that kind of loyalty then, the humans won't have a chance.'

'Hai.' Kanaye swallowed hard and gripped Pai's hand.

'Good man,' Pai said, clapping him on the shoulder. 'Now let's get out of the cold.'

**A/N: Just a little character study that popped into my head. I always imagined that the other aliens would be very loyal to Pai, seeing his fighting ability and dedication to their people. This was set a couple of years before the start of TMM, if you didn't figure it out. And Kanaye is a Japanese name meaning 'zealous one,' lol. **

**True**


End file.
